Books! What are You Reading?

I’ve been in the middle of Tristram Shandy for the last 6 months. Don’t seem to be making much progress on it.

Just finishing Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell.

Before that, Until I Find You by John Irving (one of the best writers of contemporary fiction BTW).

Up next, Fool by Christopher Moore.

Ahead of the Curve by Philip Broughton

“Benevolent Assimilation” - The American conquest of the Philippines 1899-1903

“The Death of Common Sense” - How law is suffocating America

The last several books I’ve read

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond completely changed the way I thought about human history

Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden I was allowed to critically review this for an American History class and it was very good

Catcher in the Rye, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Kite Runner, on top of text books

Re-reading one out of my home collection. Musashi by Eiji Yoshakawa. One of the best books I have ever read. Then I’m thinking of finally reading all of David Eddings connected series starting with the Belgariad Series and working through to the Tamuli Series.

Oh yeah! Just finished with my collection of Dogwitch “graphic novels” by Daniel Schaffer. Don’t knock them if you haven’t read them. She is my avatar.

Just finished: Freakonomics, Moneyball, Juicing the Game, Good to Great

Currently reading: Tipping Point and Built to Last

On tap: Blink, Wooden (John), and Primal Leadership

[quote]Invictica wrote:
Hey,

I was wondering what books you guys are reading. Chris Shugart mentioned Fountainhead in his writing, and as result now I’m hooked on all things Ayn Rand. Currently I’m reading The Fountainhead, which will be followed by Atlas Shrugged. I also plan to read Pultarch’s Lives. So let’s hear it, what are you guys reading? [/quote]

Well, who is John Galt? Okay, I’ll give it away — its anyone who chooses to live according to Reason. ;>

You do know that reading books like Rand’s, and by that I means really reading them and not glossing over them, will make you unhappy? Her philosophic tenets are greatly at odds with what most people believe; we’ve had 200 years of irrational Romanticism (Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Comte, Freud) and the vast majority of people are highly infected with such madness. To them, you will appear as a douchebag/asshole.

Ah well, unhappiness has its benefits!

[quote]SteelyD wrote:
waylanderxx wrote:
IMO Terry Goodkind is one of the greatest fantasy authors this world has ever known, amazing books.

Waylander - Check out Neil Gaiman’s stuff. He’s collaborated with and is close friends with Terry Goodkind.

Great authors, both.[/quote]

Will do thanks

Just put down:
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
Was a good read and is a fairly decent fake nonfiction book
One Bullet Away by Lt. Nathanial Fick
Always entertained by nitty gritty war/soldier books half my library is on this topic
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Awesome this was my first ever comic book and it did not disappoint,you could devote a whole class to this book in college

Currently
Benjamin Franklin by Edmund Morgan
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca (always reading this find different things all the time)
46 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Haven’t mapped out what I want to read after I’m done with those three.

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
SteelyD wrote:
waylanderxx wrote:
IMO Terry Goodkind is one of the greatest fantasy authors this world has ever known, amazing books.

Waylander - Check out Neil Gaiman’s stuff. He’s collaborated with and is close friends with Terry Goodkind.

Great authors, both.

Will do thanks[/quote]

Neil Gaiman is incredible. Everything he touches, I find myself liking. And not just because of the pictures.

Terry Goodkind, I got to before Gaiman, and I had to put the Sword of Truth series down once they stopped focusing on Richard.

Currently reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms after watching John Woo’s Red Cliff. Figured I’d watch the original source material. They should release the film over where you guys are at by the time I finish the book.

I have no idea how you guys can read multiple books at a single time.

Have any of you read the Death Dealer series by Frank Frazetta? Gath of Baal. Awesome.

[quote]Otep wrote:
Terry Goodkind, I got to before Gaiman, and I had to put the Sword of Truth series down once they stopped focusing on Richard.
[/quote]

Thats the one thing I didn’t like. You read for 30 minutes about Richard then right before it climaxs it switched to Kahlan for 30 minutes right before climax switched to something else. Always went in circles of 3. Somewhat frustrating but kept me reading.

I thought the thread title read:

“Brooks! What are you reading?” lol

Juiced by Canseco… It’s not bad… :slight_smile:

A book by James Gleick about deterministic chaos…

Oh and I plan to borrow today Nausea from Sartre, I’m interested 'cause I’ve been feeling something similar, I have to rest my soul dammit.

Hop on Pop

[quote]Invictica wrote:
Hey,

I was wondering what books you guys are reading. Chris Shugart mentioned Fountainhead in his writing, and as result now I’m hooked on all things Ayn Rand. Currently I’m reading The Fountainhead, which will be followed by Atlas Shrugged. I also plan to read Pultarch’s Lives. So let’s hear it, what are you guys reading? [/quote]

Good luck with the overly-worded and excruciatingly tedious Atlas Shrugged.

I’m usually reading a fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novel simultaneously to cover all my bases.

Recently finished:
The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway
The Immortal Game - David Shenk
The Complete Concrete Graphic Novel

Current:
Native Son - Richard Wright
Paradoxes - RM Sainsbury
Y the Last Man

On Deck:
Slaughterhouse 5 - Vonnegut
Fables Trade Paperback

I don’t have my next non-fiction lined up yet, so I’m open to suggestions.

try Shantaram, - gregory david roberts

[quote]Otep wrote:
Neil Gaiman is incredible. Everything he touches, I find myself liking. And not just because of the pictures.
[/quote]

Funny-- I wasn’t even thinking of his graphic novels, but his full length (ie ‘regular’) novels.

There are some good books being suggested here.

Irish-- How did you like “American Lion”? That’s in my queue.

tGunslinger - How does “Anathem” compare to Cryptonomicon?

Additionally for anyone with ‘young readers’ in the house, I’ve read the full “The Warriors” series and “The Sisters Grimm” series to my kids (all < 8 years old). They are great stories. I read some to the kids, they read some to me. I usually ‘proof’ them on plane flights for work then hand them off when I get back.

maximum strength by Cressey